For The King
by Ranjay
Summary: Arthur has discovered a way to get Uther to change his mind about something. Merlin is dragged along for the ride. WARNINGS: Incest and threesome. Lol. Complete.
1. For The King

A/N- Lol, I dunno. This takes place after Arthur and Merlin have had the 'relations' a couple of times. I suppose this can take place any time other than that. Just, that episode with the troll didn't happen. * shutter * I dunno how old Merlin is supposed to be, but Arthur is like 20 or 21, and Merlin is supposedly 'the same age', so let's make him 20.

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING.

For The King

It was getting dark as Merlin returned to Arthur's room with the bucket of water. Merlin really didn't know why the prince always wanted a bucket of water, but he was always getting one, it seemed.

Arthur was sitting in his chair with his booted feet up on the table, looking blankly at the opposite wall. He didn't even seem to notice Merlin come in, so the wizard thumped the bucket down on the table. A good amount of water swished out, and Arthur started up and almost fell backwards, but thankfully the chair was too heavy for that.

"Dammit Merlin! You scared me half to death!" Arthur growled, standing up quickly and glaring at Merlin. The wizard held up his hands.

"Sorry! I was just trying to get your attention! You looked like you were actually thinking," Merlin said, and couldn't help grinning. Arthur didn't seem to get the jest, however, for he brightened without commenting.

"I _was_ thinking! You know how father sentenced those three men to death because he thought that they were responsible for using magic to spoil the grain stores?" Merlin nodded, retrieving a cloth to mop up the water he'd spilled. Arthur's grin widened. "Well, they're due to be executed in the morning-"

"You sure seem happy about that..." Merlin muttered, glancing sideways at Arthur.

"No, no, no. You didn't let me finish, stupid," Arthur sighed. "Well, I've come up with a plan to get my father to change his mind and let them go. You and I both know that they didn't do it."

Merlin straightened from the table. "You... came up with a plan? All by yourself?" Arthur only smirked, walking slowly around to stand behind Merlin. He ran a hand across Merlin's small shoulder and down his back. Merlin leaned into the touch.

"I did. And we can probably use this plan each time my father makes a bad judgment call, and get him to change his mind," Arthur said, leaning closer and whispering in Merlin's ear. Arthur ran his hands down Merlin's sides.

"What...ngh, could you possibly have planned that can work on Uther more than... once?" Merlin breathed. While Arthur had already been at least a little experienced when they'd first gotten together, this was all still new to Merlin each time. Arthur knew just the right places to touch.

"Sex," Arthur whispered.

"Y-yes, please..." Merlin whispered back, but then felt Arthur's hands stop moving. Merlin was spun around to find a frowning Arthur. His eyes widened.

"W-what?" Merlin asked.

"Not sex for you, you dolt! My father!"

Merlin blinked. And blinked again.

"You're going to ….get someone to have sex with your father?" Merlin asked tenderly. He had an inkling of what Arthur might be thinking, and he was not liking where this was going.

"Yes. Us!"

It took Merlin a moment to compose himself and to answer. First, Arthur looked far too happy about this, so this had Merlin worried. Second, Merlin had half expected Arthur to say 'you'. Merlin was still a servant after all. He couldn't really deny the prince if he told him to go have sex with the king, even if they had a personal relationship. And last-

"Us? What do you mean? Both of us? A-at the same time?" Merlin asked, eyes large and imploring. Arthur nodded.

"Yes, both of us. I'll have to... " Arthur blushed, but forged ahead. "I'll have to take the place you're usually in... you know...with...him..." Arthur stared at the ground for a second, and Merlin blushed as well. His place; the bottom.

"Okay, but where does that leave me?"

Arthur's embarrassment turned to something else instantly. "Oh, you'll still have your usual place, too" he smirked, raising his brows. Merlin blushed a deeper shade of red and thought quickly about diverting the conversation.

"But... you're his son, and you want to...?"

"Merlin, you must really not know anything. Especially about royal families. We have sex with each other and marry each other all the time. It's how we keep our bloodline going, or something," Arthur said, sitting back down in his chair. Exasperated, Merlin sat opposite him at the table.

"That may be true... but that's usually cousins. This is father and son. Does that ever happen?"

Arthur considered a moment. "I'm sure it does. Father and daughter happens all the time, anyway. It's practically the same thing."

"But...even father and daughter is different! Trysts in the family usually involve people of the opposite gender, don't they?" Merlin persisted. Truth be told, he was scared. He'd only had sex with Arthur twice before, and now he was asking this of him. What if Merlin messed up somehow? He knew Uther, and he knew that messing up something like this could be, well, deadly.

Arthur waved his hand dismissively. "It doesn't matter the gender. It's bad enough anyway, right?" he said with a grin.

Merlin muttered under his breath. "But... you want both of us... at the same time?" he asked again.

Arthur leaned back, relaxed again. He'd come to definite conclusion in the course of this conversation, spurred on by Merlin. "Yes. I've seen my father look at you with lust in his eyes more than a few times," Arthur said. Merlin spluttered.

"And you've never told me?" he cried. "And you... don't care? Another man has eyes on your... other, and you don't seem to care at all!" Merlin said, suddenly angry.

This was stupid, a stupid plan from a stupid prince, and now Merlin had learned that _the king_ had been considering him in _that _manner, and Arthur didn't even _care!_

"Of course I care! Why do you think I haven't said anything? There's no way I can tell my father to stop looking at you like that! He's the KING! He never listens to ANYONE!" Arthur fumed, getting back up to his feet. Merlin got up as well, and they got in each other's faces.

"I can't... I can't... I don't have..." Arthur stopped, at a loss for words.

"You can't tell him to stop because he doesn't know about us, and that would be the only reason you'd ever say anything to him about it. I get it," Merlin grumbled, pausing for a moment before continuing. "This is the most ridiculous plan I've ever heard! Sure, sex can work wonders for getting someone to do something for you I suppose, but this is STUPID! This is the KING! Never mind that he's your father! You can just go do it yourself!" Merlin shouted, and spun on his heel to leave Arthur's room, but the prince grabbed his arm and yanked him around. Powerless in the strong grip, Merlin refused to meet Arthur's gaze.

"Merlin, look. I'm... I'm sorry. It's just that, I've considered every other option for saving these men, and I can't think of anything else. If we give something to my father that he hasn't had for twenty years, I know that he'll change his mind. And Merlin, I... I need you to be with me. I can't do it alone..." Arthur released his grip on Merlin's arm, but Merlin caught his hand as it fell away. He twined their fingers together and turned to Arthur. He could feel him trembling.

"I know you want to have them freed. I do as much as you, but … is this really the correct way to go about convincing your father?" Merlin said. Arthur pulled the smaller male against him, kissing him briefly before holding him just far enough away so their eyes could meet.

"You haven't seen him as I have, Merlin. He's been so lonely these past years. He hasn't taken another bride for a reason, you know. Me. He already has an heir, so he doesn't think he needs to make himself happy again if the ends are already met," Arthur got a despondent, sad look about him. "You didn't see him after I had been cured the time the Questing Beast bit me. He cried, Merlin." They lapsed into silence for a few moments, and Merlin held onto Arthur tightly.

"I've caused him so much pain, Merlin. Mother died because of me, and every time I'm close to death myself father goes to pieces. Everyone tells me he weeps over my bedside, and he doesn't care if anyone sees. He told me-" Arthur choked, and Merlin felt a few tears fall onto his face. He looked up to see Arthur staring blankly ahead again.

"He told me that I'm worth more to him than Camelot and his own life. I've done nothing but disagree with him and argue with him and cause him strife all my life, yet he still-" Arthur seemed too overcome at this point to continue. Merlin could only hold him, hoping he took some comfort in his arms.

Presently Arthur calmed and extricated himself from Merlin. He wandered to the windows, gazing out without seeing before plopping down on his bed. He took a deep breath as Merlin came around to lean against a bedpost.

Arthur turned to him with a brief smile. "I understand you not wanting to help me with this. It's too much to ask of you, I'm sorry."

Merlin wanted to say, _yes, this was too much to ask_, but after that spiel and Arthur shedding tears over the matter, Merlin had no choice but to agree or look like a complete ass forever. He sat next to the prince.

"I'll help you... though I don't know if this will go exactly as planned-" Merlin didn't get to finish his pessimistic thought as he was tumbled onto the bed with Arthur landing on top of him.

"Thank you, Merlin," Arthur said, grinning. He kissed Merlin, long and slow, but pulled away and sat up. Merlin pouted.

"Oh, don't look at me like that. You'll have your chance later tonight."

"Tonight?" Merlin cried, alarmed. He'd already forgotten that the prisoners were due to be executed in the morning, and had planned to get used to the idea of having sex with the king for a few days first. But no, he didn't have time.

"Really Merlin?" Arthur cuffed him on the ear and got up, beginning to pace the length of the room. There was only a vague haze left of sunlight off in the far distance, and everything else was dark. Arthur sighed.

"So, father usually goes to bed a couple of hours after sundown, so we still have a while before we-"

There was a knock on the door, and Merlin hurriedly got off the bed and pretended to do something productive.

"Enter," Arthur said, and the door opened. To both Arthur and Merlin's surprise, it was Uther. Pictures of what they were planning to do to the king came unbidden to Merlin's mind and he blushed, turning around to stare hard at the stone of the wall.

"Uh, hello father," Arthur said, and couldn't help but blush himself. He hadn't planned on seeing his father until later that night.

"I was on my way up to my chambers and I wanted to make sure that you had turned in the applications for the new knights. You know we need to look those over before we can get on with testing and training the new batch," Uther said sternly, but he had a small smile on his face. Merlin glanced behind him, trying to force himself to stop blushing, lest Uther notice.

Arthur only fumbled a little bit in answering. "Er, yes. I ...yes I did, actually."

Uther looked surprised, then happy. "Good. You only needed my pestering you twice today for those to get in! I think this might be some kind of record."

"Fa-ther! Please! I know how to file paperwork," Arthur said, surprised at the apparent good mood Uther was in.

The king held up a hand. "I jest. I'll leave you now," he said, and left quickly.

Merlin finally turned around and looked quizzically at Arthur.

"Did he seem... happy to you?"

Arthur frowned a little. "He did. But good moods do come to him every so often. This will only help us! If he's in good mood already, we can turn a good mood into a fantastic mood! And he's even going up to his chambers right now. Fortune has smiled upon us, I think," Arthur said.

"I do hope you're right..." Merlin mumbled. Arthur clapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Don't worry, if anything bad happens, I'll take the full blame."

"Okay. How long should we wait before going up there?" Merlin asked. Arthur went to resume his seat in his chair, and Merlin idly hovered by the table.

"Oh, he usually does about an hour of paperwork in his room before actually retiring. I suppose we should wait for at least that hour. Gather up the things we'll need, and then we'll prepare."

…

An hour later, Arthur was pacing outside of his father's chambers. Merlin was standing still, watching him with an amused expression.

"It's not too late to turn back now, you know. He doesn't even know that we're out here," Merlin said quietly.

Arthur stopped pacing, straightened, and with a hard stare at Merlin, knocked on the door.

"Enter."

Arthur pushed the doors open and slid inside, pulling Merlin with him. Merlin dipped his head and kept his eyes fixed on the ground. He fiddled nervously with the small bag of supplies that they'd brought.

"Oh, Arthur. What is it?" Uther asked. He was standing near his bed in his nightclothes; a loose shirt and drawstring pants. Only a few candles were lit, giving the room a dark, flickering glow. Uther watched his son with something like amusement on his face.

"Er—yes. Merlin here is an expert at giving massages, and I thought you might like one before you retired," Arthur said, jabbing a thumb at Merlin.

"That's...oddly kind of you Arthur, but not necessary," Uther said.

"No, I insist. Go ahead Merlin." Arthur crossed his arms stubbornly and Merlin hurried to Uther. The king regarded the servant for a moment.

"Why did you come up with him? You could have just sent him up by himself," Uther said, raising a brow. Merlin stood awkwardly by him, keeping his eyes on the ground.

"Because, I need to talk to you," Arthur said. Uther considered another moment but relented. He sat down on the edge of his bed with a sigh. Merlin glanced at Arthur, who nodded. The servant hurriedly clambered onto the bed behind Uther, kneeling behind him and placing the bag off to one side.

The king whipped his head around, staring directly at Merlin. "Careful of the shoulder," he growled, and Merlin gulped.

"So, father," Arthur said, and Uther turned his attention back to his son. "I have this sort of...You see, the thing is I ..."

"Yes?" Uther asked, intrigued. Merlin applied a little nice smelling oil from the bag to his hands and gently slid one into the collar of Uther's shirt. He felt the king tense slightly but got no other reaction so he continued. Truth be told, Merlin was an excellent masseur.

"I sort of have...fallen in love with someone."

Merlin froze at this. Arthur had not said anything about revealing their relationship to Uther. Ever. The king looked over his shoulder at Merlin, who hurriedly continued the massage.

"Oh? Who is she?" Uther asked. Merlin stared at Arthur as he worked his hands over Uther's shoulders and upper back, his stomach roiling with fear.

_Surely Arthur wouldn't be so stupid as to tell about us...? _

"Just someone I met on my last venture."

Uther seemed satisfied with this, though Merlin was mystified. He caught Arthur's gaze, and the prince winked. Merlin raised a brow, but Arthur turned back to Uther.

"Where is she from?"

"Two kingdoms over to the west. You remember the one?"

Uther thought for a second before nodding. "I do. I wasn't aware that King Julian had a daughter."

Arthur shrugged. "Neither was I."

"Well, this is unexpected, though good news." Uther paused to look Arthur over for a moment. "And, are you sure you're not enchanted? You know how often that happens."

Once again, Arthur and Merlin's eyes met. "No, no enchantments. We are in love."

Merlin felt his stomach do a flip and he was sure he'd melt right into the bed. He managed to remember where he was and who was sitting right in front of him, however.

"Oohhhh..." Uther breathed as Merlin hit a particularly tender spot. The king closed his eyes. Arthur gestured with his finger in a circle, and Merlin nodded. He worked the spot around Uther's old battle wound tenderly, and Uther seemed to forget that he was talking to Arthur. His eyes remained closed.

Merlin watched with a sense of doom as Arthur came closer and knelt in front of his father. Uther's legs were spread wide already, so Arthur had no trouble sliding between them and placing his mouth around Uther's member through the thin fabric of his pants. At first it didn't seem that Uther noticed, for he didn't react. Merlin kept up the touches to his shoulder and Arthur worked his mouth in ways that Merlin hadn't known him capable of, but finally Uther's eyes snapped open.

Instead of what Merlin thought would happen, namely Uther jumping up and maybe throwing a thing or two across the room and yelling a lot, he acted quite calmly.

Uther gazed down at Arthur with an unreadable expression. "Arthur. What are you doing?"

Arthur looked up with a delicious expression and Merlin became quite weak-kneed. Arthur didn't respond, though he did reach for the waistband of Uther's pants. The king caught Arthur's wrist in a vice-like grip.

"Arthur, do you know what you're doing?" Uther said, voice low. Merlin abandoned all pretense of giving a massage and fell back onto the bed before scampering up to hide by one of the posts. There seemed to be some sort of electricity in the air between king and prince; they were staring at each other with such intensity that Merlin was almost tempted to preform magic to see if either noticed.

Arthur removed his mouth from Uther's crotch to smile up at him. Merlin could see that Uther was hard, and he swallowed quite loudly.

"I know exactly what I'm doing," Arthur said with his usual cockiness.

"Oh, do you? Prove it," Uther said. He leaned back and spread his legs wider. Arthur didn't seem to be prepared for this, though he recovered quickly. The prince again reached for the top of Uther's pants, and this time the king allowed him. Arthur yanked down just enough to reveal what he was looking for, and he quickly engulfed the head in his mouth.

"Ohhhhh," Uther moaned. Arthur pressed himself as close as he could into Uther, sucking his cock before taking his mouth off to lick up and down it. Merlin was transfixed; the sight of Arthur's lips around a cock was intoxicating, and he felt himself starting to get hard. Arthur took the head in his mouth again, and after using his tongue to make Uther moan a few more times, he slowly moved down. Merlin watched with wide eyes as Arthur took the whole of his father's cock in his mouth.

Uther sat up and put his hands on Arthur's head as the prince moved his mouth up and down rapidly. Uther arched forward, then snapped his upper body back and shoved Arthur's head down as he came. They stayed in that position for a moment, then Uther let Arthur up. The prince remained where he was for a second, eying Uther, then suddenly jumped him, pressing him into the mattress. The king was completely surprised by this and was even more surprised when Arthur kissed him on the lips.

Uther managed to shove Arthur up to look at him with concern. "Arthur, what-"

"Ngh, father," Arthur moaned, and with that Merlin was completely hard. He wondered if Arthur or Uther even remembered that he was there. Perhaps it would be best if he just sort of left...

In the next second, Uther was pinning Arthur to the bed and kissing along his neck while the prince squirmed under him.

"Father! Ungh!" Arthur moaned, trying to raise his hips high enough to come into contact with Uther. The king gently shoved Arthur's hips back down.

"Arthur," Uther rumbled, and the tone made the prince stop his wiggling to look at him. Even Merlin was swayed by the deep voice. He crawled onto the bed, wanting some contact and not being able to resist the sight lain out before him.

"Father, please..." Arthur moaned, spreading his legs. That seemed to do it for Uther; whatever reservations he might have had left him quickly. He all but ripped Arthur's clothing off and planted fierce kisses down his body. Arthur squirmed and moaned the entire time, and Merlin found himself sliding a hand down his own trousers. Arthur threw his head back, spotting Merlin and finally managing to remember that he was there. He reached for the servant, pulling him closer and into a kiss. Uther paused to consider this before he went on. He watched them closely, expression inscrutable.

Presently Uther grabbed Arthur's hips and almost violently moved them up for a better angle. The king wet a finger and plunged it directly into Arthur, but found that the prince was already prepared. He spotted the conveniently located bag that Merlin had brought in and rummaged around in it. He found a suitable oil and applied a generous amount to his cock and some to Arthur's hole. Glancing once more to Arthur and Merlin making out, Uther positioned himself at Arthur's entrance.

"Mmng, Merlin," Arthur moaned after they stopped for breath. Taking advantage of Arthur's distraction, Uther unceremoniously thrust into Arthur. The prince cried out and shut his eyes tightly. Merlin quickly took one of his hands, and Arthur squeezed it tightly.

"Father, uhgn, please, it's my first time," Arthur managed before Uther could begin thrusting with any sort of speed.

"First?" Uther leaned over his son, trailing a finger along his chest. "You seem to know what you're doing..."

"I do, but not, hng, in this position," Arthur said, squeezing Merlin's hand again. Merlin was helpless as Uther moved his gaze from Arthur to him, and then to their hands. Uther leaned down over Arthur again.

"Don't worry, no harm will come to you," Uther said, and Arthur seemed to calm somewhat. His grip on Merlin's hand loosened.

"Put your legs around my waist," Uther commanded, and Arthur hurried to do so, moaning as this pushed Uther further into him. "Take a hold of my arms." Arthur reluctantly let go of Merlin to place his hands on Uther's arms, and gripped them tightly.

Merlin once again sat awkwardly to the side, wondering if he should leave to jack off. Uther began to move his hips slowly, pushing more of himself into Arthur.

"Oh god father." Arthur's eyes were closed and he was panting. Uther extricated one arm to place a hand gently on the side of Arthur's face. The prince looked up, lips slightly swollen and a blush across his cheeks. Uther kissed him deeply and their lips smacked as they came together and broke apart. Uther began to move his hips slowly, distracting Arthur with his lips. The prince didn't complain this time, and Uther managed to get halfway in before Arthur began squirming. Uther glanced down between them and was presented with the sight of Arthur's cock, hard and straining.

Uther took a look at Merlin, who was sitting near the opposite edge of the bed. His head was thrown back, eyes closed and one hand was in his trousers. Uther reached again for the oil, squeezed a small amount into one of his hands, and applied it to Arthur's cock.

"Oh god. Hng."

The king ignored him. He wrapped his arms around Arthur and gently lifted him up into a sitting position. The prince cried out again as he slid all the way onto his father's cock and into his lap.

"Ooohhnn, father, hhhnngggg!" Once again, Arthur was ignored.

"Merlin."

The servant snapped his head around at Uther's voice. The king was looking at him intensely.

"Come here."

Merlin almost fell off the bed in his haste to obey. Uther took a long while to appraise him, with Arthur all the while squirming around in his lap.

"Strip."

"S-sire?"

"Strip," Uther repeated, furrowing his brows. Arthur had begun to lightly bounce in his father's lap, and Uther's concentration was slipping. Merlin hesitated a second longer before complying. Once naked, he covered himself with a blush.

Uther pushed Arthur's top half away from him, creating a small space between them. "Come here."

Merlin crawled up to them, and Uther pointed at Arthur's cock. Merlin blushed a deep shade of red, but he slid between Uther and Arthur. The prince only vaguely registered this, but his eyes widened as Merlin lowered himself onto his cock.

"Oh god..." Arthur whispered. Uther engulfed both Merlin and the prince in a bear hug and thrust his hips. Both Arthur and Merlin cried out, and Merlin grabbed onto Arthur. The king thrust again, not breaking his hold on the younger males.

"Father, wait. It hurts," Arthur grit through clenched teeth.

"No time for waiting. Trust me, Arthur," Uther said. He slid a hand up Arthur's back to push his head closer so he could kiss him around Merlin. The servant was squished between one naked body and one still clothed body, and he found that he didn't really mind. He began rocking back and forth in the limited space he was in, and Arthur moaned. The king took this moment to thrust again, and Arthur didn't complain. For a few seconds Uther and Merlin's rhythms were out of sync, but they soon found the correct pace and timing. Uther would thrust and Merlin would roll his hips forward into Arthur, and it wasn't long before the combined effort of the king and the servant had Arthur cumming deep inside Merlin.

Uther relaxed his grip around the younger males as Arthur slumped forward against the servant. Uther continued to thrust in a steady fashion for a few more minutes, and Merlin almost felt like he was being fucked directly by the king.

Merlin closed his eyes just as Uther gave a powerful thrust and moaned loudly. Merlin felt the king slump against his back and opened his eyes to see Arthur looking at him. The prince slid a hand between them and gently took Merlin's cock, stroking it and squeezing it a few times. Arthur pressed his lips against Merlin's as the servant came, spilling cum between them.

Presently Arthur shoved Merlin off of him and he and Uther stared at each other. Arthur blushed and glanced away, but Uther placed a hand on his chin and angled it up for a kiss. Arthur put his arms around Uther and pulled him closer. Merlin got under the covers, exhausted and not wanting to get dressed or go back to his own room. He rather hoped that Uther and Arthur forgot about him again. He really hoped that Uther wouldn't realize that a servant was sleeping in his bed.

Arthur and Uther kissed for a good two minutes before Arthur pulled away and off of Uther's lap.

"Auuuugh, I'm going to be sore in the morning," Arthur complained as he slowly pulled up the covers and burrowed in next to Merlin. Uther just chuckled as he blew out the candle on the bedside table.

Just before Merlin nodded off, he had the distinct feeling that they'd forgotten something important. He couldn't quite put a finger on it, but he knew it had to do with the reason why he and Arthur were in Uther's room right now.

Whatever it was could wait till morning, Merlin decided.

/End

A/N- Uther sex FTW.


	2. Chapter 2 That Went Well

A/N- I usually don't ever write more than one chapter for things cause I'm lazy and lose inspiration, but at least two people wanted moar, so here it is! Positive reviews really go a long way. ;D

That Went Well

When Merlin awoke the next morning, it took him a moment to figure out where he was and why Arthur was slumbering next to him. When he did, he shot out of bed, looking wildly around. Uther was nowhere in sight, and what Merlin and Arthur both had forgotten last night came rushing back.

"Ah, Arthur! Those prisoners! We didn't help them at all!" Merlin cried. Arthur started from the bed and fell onto the floor. Merlin realized that he was naked and covered himself with a hand, trying to find his trousers.

"Where's my father?" Arthur asked as he pulled himself up from the ground. His hair was sticking in every direction and he winced as he took a couple of steps.

"I don't know! We might not be in time to save the prisoners! Arthur, you have to go stop your father! You're still the only one he sometimes listens to!" Merlin said, finally finding his trousers and hastily pulling them on. He found Arthur's as well, and threw them at the prince, who put them on.

"Okay, okay, I'll go find father, and hopefully stop him. You can, uh... clean this place up," Arthur said. He didn't bother to find his own shirt which was probably lost in the bowels of the bed somewhere; instead he went to the wardrobe and found one of his father's. It was slightly big on him, but he didn't pause to find another one, quickly dashing out of the room without any shoes on.

Sighing, the servant set about pulling on his shirt and shoes and fixing his hair as best he could. He was actually rather glad that Arthur had ordered him to clean the room, as he really didn't want to try to explain to Gaius why he was absent last night. Or go with Arthur to confront Uther. He only wondered what he might say if one of Uther's personal servants came in while he was still there.

_Me? I'm just looking for something. In the king's bedchambers. Nothing suspicious about that at all. _

Merlin went to a window, pulled back the drapes, and peered out. He was surprised to see that the sun was only just beginning to come up. Perhaps they weren't too late after all. The pyre to burn those accused was there in the square below, but that had been built yesterday. Only two guards stood around it, and a crowd wasn't gathering.

_Maybe we distracted Uther enough, after all. _Merlin thought guiltily. _If only I'd just remembered in the first place- _He shook his head, banishing the thought.

Merlin left the window and gathered everything on the bed into one large pile and took it to be cleaned. He managed to avoid anyone who would ask questions as to why he was carrying the king's bedding, which he was grateful for. He returned quickly with fresh bedding and had the bed looking brand new in no time.

Done with that, Merlin slowly headed back to Gaius' chambers, having nothing else to do for now. He fervently hoped Arthur had managed to find Uther before he decided to go ahead with the execution, or all of last night was for nothing. Well, maybe not nothing. Everyone involved had seemed rather pleased with the situation, including Merlin himself. He's never seen Arthur so very... whiny. No, that was a lie. He'd seen Arthur whiny plenty of other times, just not for the same reasons.

_How could both Arthur and I have been so stupid as to forget the entire purpose for going to see Uther?_ Merlin thought again. If the prisoners died, he would feel guilty. He would have had the chance to help them, but messed it up.

Lost in thought as he was, Merlin didn't even realize that he'd run right into Gaius until the physician was pulling him up from the ground.

"Ah, there you are, Merlin! Where have you been?" Gaius' tone was only slightly angry and more amused, like he knew something that Merlin didn't.

_Suspicious. _Merlin thought with a frown.

"I was just, uh, you know. Helping Arthur with things. He had me working so late that I just... fell asleep. I lost track of time."

Gaius raised a brow. "Is that so? Well now you can help me with 'things'. Come on," Gaius said, and Merlin followed silently. He had a feeling that his troubles were only beginning.

…

Only a few people stared at Arthur as he quickly made his way to the council chamber where he hoped his father would be. He couldn't waste time running around the castle looking for the king. Not with lives on the line.

Sure enough, Uther was there. He was sitting at the end of the table with a lot of paperwork around him and a few random people and more paperwork. Uther looked distracted as he gazed at the papers around him, tapping his quill on the table and not actually getting anything done.

The only sound was the shuffling of papers, the quill tapping, and a cough here and there. When Uther heard Arthur entering the room, he watched him like a hawk. Arthur became very aware of the fact that he didn't have any shoes on, he was rather disheveled, and he was wearing one of Uther's shirts. The other people at the table looked at him as well, eyes wide. His footsteps echoed loudly, despite his bare feet.

"Leave us," Uther said without taking his eyes off Arthur. The random people hurriedly left, and the door closed behind them. King and prince were alone. Arthur reached Uther, though he stood a few steps back. He tried his hardest not to meet Uther's gaze.

"Father, have the prisoners been executed yet?"

Uther took a moment to answer, obviously not expecting this question. "The ones accused of sorcery?"

"Yes."

"No, they haven't. Why do you ask?"

Arthur shuffled awkwardly, his feet rather cold on the stone of the floor. He was relieved that he wasn't too late, but in a way, he was. He should have taken care of this last night. That had been his whole plan. But he hadn't imagined-Unbidden, thoughts of last night sprang up and Arthur blushed, clearing his throat.

"I was wondering if you'd consider... excusing them?"

Uther's brows furrowed and he leaned back in his chair, appraising Arthur. "Oh? And why would I want to do that? They've been found guilty of using sorcery. You know the punishment for that."

"I know, father," Arthur said, deliberately not calling him 'sire', hoping it had some effect. "But I was just wondering if you could be persuaded to change your mind," Arthur said, inching closer, still finding anything but Uther extremely interesting.

The king let his eyes travel up and down Arthur slowly as he considered. "We can't have people accused of sorcery go free. That would endanger us all. Besides, what would people start thinking if prisoners went free all the sudden? Other kingdoms would perceive Camelot as weak, and there are already a few kingdoms who barely need any excuse to attack us, " Uther said, though by his tone Arthur could tell that he was just reciting things he'd said before. His attention was focused elsewhere.

"But father, they were convicted on scant little evidence. It would be an act of mercy and goodwill to let them go now," Arthur insisted. He knew that this tactic would probably fail because it usually did. He still had the sex option again, if he got that desperate.

"You're not being very persuasive," Uther said, voice low. Arthur gulped. He usually felt at least a little bit in charge when he and the king had an argument, but not this time. Uther was in control, and they both knew it. Arthur could tell that Uther wasn't even mad because the king knew that he'd probably end up getting what he wanted. When was the last time they'd had an argument and Uther had not been mad?

"I-"

Uther stood up suddenly, placing his hands on the table. "Last night was about this, wasn't it? The prisoners?"

Arthur was usually very good at reading his father's moods, but not today. Everything was off today. He couldn't tell now if Uther wanted to tell him off or otherwise. The prince took a steadying breath.

"Father, I just want you to consider-"

"It was, wasn't it?" Uther demanded, taking the few steps to close the gap between them. Arthur stood his ground. They were about the same height, so Arthur was finally forced to meet Uther's eyes. The prince was the first to look away however, blushing again. He couldn't face his father right now. Not after last night. He couldn't imagine how Uther was being so calm about the whole thing. The king put a hand on Arthur's shoulder.

"Arthur, I will pardon them."

Arthur's head snapped up, eyes wide. "What?"

"I will pardon them. For you," Uther said, letting his hand slide off the prince as he turned to leave the room. Arthur worked his mouth to reply, but nothing came out.

_What does he mean by that? For me? _Arthur thought as he left to go find Merlin. The prince sighed, banishing the thought for now. Arthur first went to Gaius' quarters, and found the old man busy over what looked like a bright red liquid of some sort. It was smoking, but it smelled rather pleasant. It filled the room with the aroma, and Arthur felt calmer.

"Is Merlin here?"

Gaius pointed to Merlin's room without looking up. Arthur hurried over and didn't bother to knock.

"Arthur!" Merlin said in alarm, slamming a book shut and hiding it behind him. Arthur was still too flustered to really notice.

"Merlin!" Arthur said, shutting the door behind him.

"Uh—how did it go with your father?" Merlin whispered urgently, placing a pillow over the book and coming to stand in front of Arthur.

The prince let out a long breath. "Well, they hadn't been executed yet. My father agreed to pardon them."

"Oh, excellent! But …why do you look so unhappy?"

Arthur shook his head. "Come on, let's talk in my room," he said, glancing sideways at the door. Merlin nodded and followed Arthur out.

"Sorry, commandeering Merlin," Arthur said as they passed Gaius, who just waved a hand.

_ Whatever he's making sure must be interesting, _Arthur thought.

They made it to Arthur's chambers with only a few stares at Arthur's still bare feet, and the prince shut the door with a sigh. He went to his bed and flopped down on it. Merlin stood in front of him.

"So? What is it? Your plan seems to have worked after all."

Arthur raised only his eyes, looking at Merlin through his bangs. "No, no it didn't. I'm pretty sure that my father is expecting another round with me."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure. He said he'd do it 'for me', but I don't know what he means by that. Either 'for me' like a favor, or literally 'for me', as in 'for my body'."

"Why are you assuming the worst? He might just mean the first one!" Merlin said.

"No, I doubt it. He's calling our bluff."

"What do you mean?"

"He came right out and asked if last night had anything to do with me asking for the prisoners to be pardoned."

"Well, what did you say?"

"I didn't say anything before he suddenly decided to agree."

"So... last night...?"

"Last night didn't accomplish anything, save for the obvious. Speaking of which, I need a bath," Arthur said, frowning. Merlin sighed and left the room. He returned a few minutes later with a large tub, assisted by two other servants. All three then lugged in the water while Arthur watched without seeing. Once the tub was full of steaming water, the other two servants left and Merlin and the prince were alone again.

"Bath's ready," Merlin said, panting from having lugged so much water. Arthur started up from his thoughts, looking around and being surprised at the full tub. He shook his head and stood to go behind the screen and disrobe. He fingered the hem of his father's shirt a moment before pulling it off and hanging it gently over the screen. He came out with nothing on and eased himself into the bath, sighing.

"Arthur. This is troubling you," Merlin said, kneeling next to him. Arthur put a hand behind Merlin's head and pushed it closer for a brief kiss.

"This is not what I had planned. I only wracked up the nerve to do it once because I thought it'd be over with afterwards." Arthur slid down in the bath until his face was covered up to his eyes, and his legs were mostly sticking out. Merlin took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. He snaked a hand towards the water, but Arthur caught his wrist. The action reminded the prince forcefully of how Uther had caught his own wrist last night. Arthur dropped it.

"Hey," Merlin said, reaching in and putting his hands on either side of Arthur's face. The prince rose to a sitting position to look at him. "We'll figure it out, don't worry," the servant said, and Arthur couldn't resist another kiss.

"Join me," Arthur said, grabbing Merlin's neckerchief and tugging. Merlin gulped.

"O—okay, hold on a second," he said, and hurriedly shed his clothing. Arthur moved so there was room in the tub, and Merlin gingerly slid in opposite him. He put his legs around Arthur's waist, and the prince pulled them closer together. Their noses touched.

"No matter what happens Merlin, know that I love you," Arthur said, staring intensely into the servant's eyes. Merlin blushed.

"I know."

Arthur kissed him, then pushed him back against the side of the tub. He reached between them and put his large hand around both of their cocks. He rubbed them together, causing Merlin to cry out in surprise.

"Arthur, you're supposed to be getting clean!"

"Mmhm, just a minute," the prince said, grabbing side of the tub for balance. He pumped their cocks, squeezing gently with each tug. Merlin grabbed onto him, squirming and moaning. Arthur's hand went slowly at first, just stroking them. Merlin bucked his hips once, gasping. Arthur kissed him fully on the lips, sticking his tongue in. Merlin arched up into him and Arthur trailed his mouth down to Merlin's neck, which was offered eagerly to him. Arthur kissed the skin, then sucked hard on it. He left a nice mark and then turned his attentions back to the heat in his hand. The prince sped up, making Merlin squirm more than ever.

"A-Arthur-!"

The blonde's hand became more erratic in its tugging, and soon both of them came into the water.

Merlin's grip around Arthur slackened and he leaned back against the tub, grinning. Arthur leaned back on his side, satisfied. Merlin reached an arm outside the tub, feeling around for the soap he'd left on the floor. Finding it, he brandished it triumphantly.

"Now, about getting clean?"

Arthur splashed him, getting the servant's hair soaking wet. Merlin immediately retaliated with an even bigger splash.

About an hour later, after Merlin had mopped up the floor, both he and Arthur were squeaky clean and dressed. Arthur had gone back to brooding, however. He was sitting on his bed, glaring at his father's shirt where he'd left it on the screen.

"Careful, you might burn a hole in it," Merlin said, sitting next to him. Arthur only grunted.

"You know you have training to do in ten minutes, right?"

Arthur grunted again.

"How about this? Avoid Uther for the rest of the day, and hopefully he'll forget all about it!" Merlin said cheerfully. Arthur turned his glare to the servant, who held up his hands in surrender.

"That needs to be returned to my father."

Merlin only looked confused for a second before he seemed to realize that Arthur was talking about the shirt.

"You want me to do it, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Can't you get someone else to do it? Or just not return it? I'm sure the king has plenty of shirts."

"He saw me wearing it, idiot. He might use that as an excuse to come find me. Besides, if someone else took it back, they're going to wonder why I had it in the first place. I know how much the servants gossip."

"But I-"

"Just do it, Merlin!" Arthur grumbled, getting up to go glare out of the window. He heard a sigh behind him and a few seconds later the slamming of the door.

…

When Uther had returned to his chambers later that morning, he realized something was amiss. The room was spotless. His personal servant had been with him most of the morning, however. Not enough time to tidy up like this. That could only leave one conclusion: someone else had cleaned up.

_Was it Merlin? _Uther knew the servant was extremely loyal to Arthur and would clean up in here if Arthur had asked. In fact, they seemed to be closer than Uther recalled. They were spending a lot more time together as of late. A lot more time. Arthur had fucked Merlin last night as well. Neither of them had complained about that once. They hadn't complained about anything. In fact, they had even seemed quite familiar with each other.

_Quite familiar. Was it _really _about the prisoners? _Uther thought. He'd been thinking about it ever since the very early morning when he'd woken up next to his naked son and the equally as naked manservant. He'd been at a loss to try to rationalize Arthur's sudden advances last night, but when the prince had mentioned letting the prisoners go this morning, it made at least a little sense. There was a reason now, at least. Uther left his rooms and started towards the council chamber again.

_Just how close are Arthur and Merlin? If they're as close as I think they might be, they hide it well._

Suddenly Uther was staggering back. There was a loud 'thud', and someone else was sprawling on the floor. It took Uther a moment to regain his senses, for he and the person on the floor had hit their heads together. Huge blue eyes looked up at him.

_Merlin...hmm._

The servant didn't move, frozen in place probably by fear. Uther allowed himself a brief smile before he bent, offering a hand to Merlin. The servant's eyes got even bigger, if that was possible. He hesitantly reached out, and Uther had the feeling that he was offering food to a timid deer. The king pulled Merlin right up with one yank.

"I, uh, here!" Merlin shoved black fabric at Uther, and the king realized that it was the shirt Arthur had been wearing this morning. Uther turned piercing eyes on Merlin.

The servant gulped, instantly blushing ten shades of red. "S—s—sire! If you'll excuse me," he stammered, pivoting on a heel. Uther grabbed his arm before he could flee. Merlin whipped back around and the king could practically see his heart beating through his shirt. Uther pulled him closer so as to not be overheard.

"You cleaned my chambers this morning, did you not?"

Merlin nodded so hard that Uther thought his neck might snap.

"Very good. I think you do a better job than my regular servant," Uther breathed next to Merlin's ear. He felt the servant shiver. For a brief moment, Uther was torn between asking about Merlin and Arthur's relationship and just letting him go. This was all the distraction Merlin needed to pry free of the king's grip and practically run away, stuttering apologies back over his shoulder as he went.

Uther clutched the shirt in his hand, staring hard at it. He folded it a couple of times and tucked it under an arm as he continued on his way back to the council chamber.

…

Merlin hurried away, intimidated beyond reason by Uther just now. He had no idea why, and he tried to shake the feeling as he made his way to where he hoped Arthur would be. Sure enough, Arthur was there, in the practice area with knight trainees. He was sparring with one, and won easily. Merlin waited off to one side, and when Arthur saw him, he called for a break.

"Merlin."

"Arthur."

"So? Did you return it?"

"I did." Merlin said, and the feeling of being overwhelmed by Uther returned with great force. Merlin's heart began to beat rapidly.

"Hey Merlin, what's the matter?" Arthur asked, concerned. He put a hand on Merlin's shoulder to steady him.

"S-sorry. It's just that, I met Uther in the hallway outside of his chamber, and he-" Merlin gulped, putting a hand over his heart. Why was he letting Uther have such power over him when he wasn't even there?

Arthur's eyes got bigger. "What? What did he do to you?"

"Nothing! He just guessed that I cleaned his room this morning, and I gave him the shirt, and that's it! I don't know why I'm freaking out!"

Arthur let out a sigh and put his other hand on Merlin's other shoulder. "You can't let him make you feel like this, Merlin. He'll just keep gaining an advantage over you forever, and then he'll start making you do things. After last night, who knows what those things might be?"

"I—I- okay, I'm fine, really," Merlin said, though he didn't feel it at all. He took a deep breath and smiled. Arthur smiled back and removed his hands from Merlin's shoulders.

"Alright. Now, go muck out the horses," Arthur said and returned to the trainees before Merlin could argue. Shaking his head, Merlin slowly headed to the stables.

…

Throughout the rest of training, Arthur couldn't concentrate fully. He kept thinking mostly of his father, and thus got flustered quite often. A couple of the trainees even managed to get him down before he would snap out of it and come back with a vengeance. When it was time to call it in for the day, Arthur was rather cross and angry. He stormed to his room, where Merlin was conveniently tidying up. He seemed in a better mood than when Arthur had seen him previously.

"Arthur! How was training?" the servant asked cheerily, coming to help Arthur out of his armor. The prince just grunted, impatiently waiting for Merlin to be done.

"Pouting all day is not going to help anything. At least tell me what's wrong," Merlin said.

"No."

"Arthur, what have we discussed about holding it all in?"

"I _know_, Merlin. It's just that I have no idea what to do about this whole situation. I thought it would end and we'd be done with it, but it just keeps dragging on," Arthur said, slumping down in a chair once his armor was off. Merlin left it on the table and leaned against a pillar in front of Arthur.

"You're going to have to go talk to Uther and find out what he meant. It's just going to keep bothering you until you figure it out."

"No, I'm not going to go speak to my father. That would make it seem like I was eager for more... you know."

"No it wouldn't! It's perfectly reasonable to want to know exactly what he meant, and the only way to do that is to ask."

"It's not perfectly reasonable!"

"Arthur, just go do it!" Merlin cried, flinging his arms to the side. Arthur looked like he wanted to get up and smack the servant, but instead he put his head in his hands.

"I'm afraid, Merlin." Arthur's voice was so quiet that Merlin almost didn't catch it.

"Afraid?" the servant asked, kneeling in front of Arthur and taking his hands.

"Yes," Arthur whispered. "I'm afraid that if I go talk to him, he'll want to do it again, and when we do, I might like it again. You're not supposed to like having sex with your father, Merlin," Arthur whispered urgently. He need to make Merlin understand how he was feeling right now; he was so confused about how last night was affecting him right now. He didn't know what he should feel towards his father anymore, and how that might affect his relationship with Merlin. If he hadn't liked it so much, then none of this would be a problem and he wouldn't have to pretend to not want to do it again.

"You liked it?"

Arthur looked down into Merlin's face and wasn't able to read the expression there. The prince nodded. Merlin stood up and began pacing.

"Did you like it, too?" Arthur asked, suddenly having to know. If only he liked it, and Merlin had just been going along with it, what did that mean for them?

Did he prefer his father over his lover?

Merlin turned away from him, wrapping his arms around himself. "What does it matter what I feel?" he demanded, whirling back around and staring accusingly at Arthur. The prince stood up and reached out to Merlin, but the servant moved away.

"Merlin, what's the matter? Why are you acting like this all of the sudden?"

"How do you suppose I should react to the admission that you liked what happened last night?" Despite his words, Arthur could see tears at the corners of Merlin's eyes. He reached out to him again, but Merlin turned and sprinted for the door.

"Merlin, wait!" Arthur called, but the servant was gone. Arthur hurried after him, but a guard stopped him.

"Sire, your presence is required."

"Not now!" Arthur growled, but the guard caught his arm. Arthur glared at him, and the guard gulped.

"The king wishes to see you."

Arthur froze at that and nodded. Merlin he could deal with later, but it would be a bad idea to keep his father waiting right now. He followed the guard to the council chambers where Uther was discussing something with Gaius. The room smelled like whatever it was that Gaius had been working on in his chambers, and Arthur calmed immediately. Uther looked calm as well, and that above all else should have alarmed Arthur.

"Arthur," Uther said, voice deep and resonating throughout the room. Arthur sucked in a breath and stopped at the opposite end of the table. Gaius left the room with a curious glance at Arthur, but he didn't say anything. The prince waited for Uther to speak, which he did after a couple of moments. He fixed Arthur with a pleasant enough expression.

"Raiders have been spotted along the southern boarder. Take a detachment of soldiers and deal with them, please. You should be back by tonight," the king said.

Arthur raised a brow. Sure, he was the best swordsman in Camelot and he could get it taken care of the fastest, but he was also the prince. He didn't need to be going around taking care of every little problem that sprung up. He needed to.. what was it again? Something about Merlin.

_Did father actually say please_? Arthur mused. He felt, deep down, that he should be questioning the sudden need for him to be away from the castle, and why he wasn't going to say anything to protest. He just felt too calm to argue right now. _Why does it smell so good in here?_

"Very well, father. I shall leave immediately, unless you have something else you wanted to discuss?"

Uther hesitated. Arthur could see that yes, he did want to say something, but then his face became neutral as he took a deep breath of the fragrant air.

"No, that will be all. Have a safe journey," the king said, offering a small smile. Arthur returned the smile automatically and left the room.

All through the process of trying to find Merlin, giving up, and ordering another servant to ready his horse and alert the other soldiers that would accompany him, Arthur felt as if he was floating. It was only after they'd been riding for about half an hour and Arthur couldn't smell that interesting smell from the council room anymore that the prince realized that something didn't quite fit. Just _why_ hadn't he protested being sent out? He had really needed to find Merlin and try to talk to him again.

Guilt settled in. Merlin needed him right now, or at least an attempt at an explanation of how he was feeling. Why in the world had he confessed that he'd liked what happened last night? Of course Merlin would respond how he did! How would he feel if Merlin had found someone else himself? He'd probably challenge the person to a duel.

"Sire!"

Arthur started and almost fell from his horse. He looked around to the soldier next to him. They'd stopped without the prince noticing, and everyone was looking at him. He glanced around and saw a curl of smoke not too far away, and assumed it was the bandit camp. He took a deep breath.

"Alright men, let's get this over with," Arthur said with false enthusiasm. He spurred his horse on towards the camp, mind somewhere else entirely.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N- Whoa, never thought I'd finish this. Cause Uther is dead. Blarg. I don't know what I'm doing anymore, lololololololololol. I'm sure I had a plot in mind about a year ago...

Chapter 3

Merlin shivered as the night air reached his skin right through his thin coat. He stuck his hands under his armpits and walked quickly through the courtyard and up into the castle, looking around to make sure no one saw him. He was going to try to find Arthur and attempt to talk to him and work out just what they had between them. And what all the nonsense with Uther was about. He asked another servant where the prince was, and sighed when he learned that Arthur had been sent on a bandit raid.

That seemed strange to Merlin because there were plenty of other capable people around to lead a raid. Why had Uther chosen Arthur specifically? As if in answer, Uther himself came striding down the hallway Merlin was in, and the servant had no chance to try to escape.

"Merlin, follow me," the king said as he swept past the younger man. Merlin opened his mouth, then closed it again and silently followed. Uther didn't say anything as he lead Merlin through the castle and up to his own chambers, and Merlin was starting to get a very bad feeling about the situation.

Uther closed the door behind them and went to stand in front of the fireplace, hands clasped behind his back as he gazed at Merlin. The servant shifted from foot to foot and stared at the ground, feeling more and more uncomfortable as the seconds dragged on.

"Merlin."

The servant's head snapped up and he looked at Uther, his eyes wide.

"Sire?"

Uther started to slowly pace closer to Merlin, never taking his eyes off of him. "Merlin, what is your relationship with my son?"

Merlin felt as if he'd been slapped. Had Uther guessed?! "Oh, he's... I mean to say... I am his servant. Sire," he said, not able to meet the king's gaze.

"And? What else?" Uther snapped. He suddenly loomed right in front of Merlin, who took an involuntary step back.

"I-I-I d-don't know what you are implying-"

Uther stepped up to Merlin and grabbed his neck with a gloved hand, staring him right in the face. Merlin gasped and had to repress every impulse to use magic to shove the king off. He'd die for certain if he did, and he did not want to die. Not today, anyway.

"Arthur fucks you," Uther said bluntly, his hand tightening on Merlin's neck. The servant struggled and clawed at the hand, eyes huge and flecks of gold swirling in them.

"He fucks you regularly if I am not mistaken," Uther said. It felt like each word pierced Merlin right in the heart. He'd messed up, and now Uther was going to kill him and his destiny would be wrong and he wouldn't be able to continue to protect Arthur and-

"He likes you. That I can plainly see," Uther said. His grip loosened a little, and Merlin could breathe again. The king looked closely at Merlin for a moment more, then flung him to the ground near his bed. Merlin gasped and choked and scrambled to his feet, trying to judge the distance between himself and Uther and himself and the door.

"Get on the bed."

That command had Merlin staring blankly at Uther, fear forgotten for the moment.

"S-S-Sire?" he managed, voice rather more high pitched than he would have liked. Uther turned a charming smile to Merlin, who just stared back at him.

"I need to see what Arthur sees in you," Uther said. He started to take off his outer coat, and Merlin's eyes got even wider.

"What?! Sire, you don't have to do that! I can tell you I don't know what he sees in me! You can't possibly do this with each person Arthur fancies!" Merlin protested, trying to inch around closer to the door. Uther gave him a look and he stopped.

"No, and I would not want to. But you are... something different. I could plainly see that the last time we were all together. Now get on the bed," Uther said. His tone made it clear that there was no more arguing, so Merlin reluctantly went to the bed and sat on the edge. Uther removed everything but his shirt and pants and sat on the bed next to Merlin. He just stared at him, and Merlin felt distinctly uneasy.

"Um..."

Uther suddenly shoved Merlin down on his back and got up over him, and the younger male froze.

"Sire, please!" Merlin said, placing his hands on Uther's chest. The king raised a brow and peered down at Merlin for a moment before leaning down close to him.

"There's no getting out of this, Merlin," he said, and kissed him. Merlin gasped and Uther shoved his tongue in. Merlin was unprepared for this and struggled for a second before Uther reached down between them. The servant gasped as the king squeezed his cock through his pants, stopping in his efforts to get away.

"Please, sire..."

Uther rolled his eyes. "Stop whining. I won't hurt you."

Merlin found that his heart was beating rapidly, and he took a moment to breathe deeply. Uther took his silence as invitation to continue, so he leaned down and nipped along Merlin's neck as he massaged his package.

"Uhng, siiiire," Merlin groaned, clutching to Uther's shirt. The king chuckled, and Merlin looked up at him.

"Barely a touch has you moaning like this? Arthur must not pleasure you often."

Merlin's face flushed at that, and he looked to the side. "It is a servant's duty to attend to the master, not the other way around," he mumbled.

"In that case, I will show you just what you're missing with my son being the selfish brat he is."

That made Merlin look up, but Uther just smiled and kissed him on the lips. This time Merlin opened his mouth voluntarily for Uther, since he knew Arthur liked it when he did that. Perhaps Uther would be similar. But the king just kissed him without using his tongue. Merlin could feel him smiling against him, and he was still smiling when he pulled back.

"So eager to please. I begin to see why Arthur likes you so much," Uther said with a chuckle. He nipped along Merlin's ear and sucked on the lobe while he worked open his trousers and pulled them down to his knees. Merlin was blushing furiously when the king pulled back again.

"Excited, I see?" Uther said, taking Merlin's cock in his hand and stroking it slowly.

"Uhnnngg, s-siiremnngggg," Merlin moaned, closing his eyes and feeling himself getting warm all over. Uther reached his unoccupied hand down between Merlin's legs and rubbed around his entrance, watching his face. The servant looked up at Uther with his face entirely red, though he didn't try to struggle anymore. Uther sat back and reached into the bedside table to bring out a small bottle. He moistened both hands with the contents and continued to rub Merlin's cock with one while pushing a finger into him with the other.

"Ahnnnng, siiiire!" Merlin moaned louder yet, clutching at the bedsheets and trying to keep his hips still. Uther didn't seem to mind the squirming mass that Merlin had become, working his hand along the servant's cock and preparing him with calm determination. It only took a moment more for Merlin to gasp and arch up and clutch onto Uther as he came onto his hand, panting and whining a bit.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

Merlin peered up at Uther, who had on a very self-satisfied smirk. He flushed and looked away again, and Uther chuckled before adding a second finger to the first. The king prepared the servant until he was satisfied, and then removed his fingers. He tugged Merlin's trousers all the way off and let them drop to the floor before sitting up on his knees and working his fingers on the lacing of his own trousers.

Despite not actually being hurt by Uther, yet, Merlin grew nervous. He could not say no to the king, but now he was afraid of how Arthur would react to this. There was no way that it could be kept a secret between them. Merlin himself would most likely tell the prince, if Uther didn't get to him first. What could Merlin do?! Then again, this same thing had happened to Arthur not long ago... Did the prince even have grounds on which to be mad at Merlin?

"I hope you are ready."

Uther's voice broke through Merlin's thoughts, and he blinked as he was presented with the sight of the king's erection.

"Uhhhhhh..."

"Excellent," Uther said, and pulled Merlin's legs up around his waist. He pressed the head of his cock against the servant and looked up at him. Merlin just watched him silently, and Uther pushed into him. Merlin grunted and scrabbled his hands along the bed before reaching up to hold onto Uther's shirt. Then he realized what he was doing and let go, murmuring an apology.

"Hold on if you need to," Uther said, and Merlin instantly grabbed back onto him. Uther kissed Merlin's brow, which made the servant look up at him in confusion. The king just smiled and moved his hips forward. Merlin whined and held onto him tighter, though Uther just continued to move. He paused when he had as much of himself as could fit into Merlin to let the servant adjust for a moment.

"Hnnnnnggggg..."

"Bigger than you're used to, hmm?"

Merlin looked up at that, seeing that same smirk on Uther's face. He flushed again, though he didn't say anything.

"We'll go slow," Uther said, leaning down and placing his hands on the bed to either side of Merlin's head. He began to roll his hips slowly up against Merlin, who moaned loudly and hung onto the king's shirt for dear life. Uther placed kisses along Merlin's neck and pushed open his shirt to place kisses along his chest, and back up again. Merlin squirmed and panted and his skin felt on fire wherever Uther touched. The king's thrusts, steady and regular so far, started to get more erratic after a few moments and his breathing became heavier.

"Hnnng, s-siiiire!" Merlin couldn't help but call out every so often as Uther managed to hit a particularly sweet spot in him. The king reacted and shifted so he could hit that spot over and over, making the servant squirm and cry out even louder. Merlin got hard again and even though his cock wasn't touching anything, he came again with a cry.

"Ahhhnng," Uther moaned in response and gripped Merlin's hips tightly as he came in the servant. Both panted and Merlin shuttered and moaned a few more times before his body relaxed back against the bed. Uther sat up and slid out of the servant, sliding to the edge of the bed and sitting. Merlin put an arm over his eyes and tried to calm his breathing. That... that had been...

"Do not leave this room until you are presentable," Uther said. Merlin looked up to see him fully dressed again, and he hurriedly moved to cover himself. He winced a little, and Uther smirked.

"Take your time. I'll make sure no one disturbs you," he said, and swept out of the room. Merlin groaned and lay back, putting his arm over his face.

Had that really just happened?

Arthur returned later that night and dragged his exhausted body up to his room. He would make his report to his father in the morning; right now all he wanted was sleep. Thankfully no one tried to stop him, and he made it to his room without incident. As soon as he was in, however, Merlin assaulted him.

"Arthur! You're filthy! Let me help you with your armor."

"Ah, Merlin! What in the blazes are you doing here?" Arthur said, shoving the smaller off of him.

"Oh, you know. Waiting for you to get back. Let me help you with the armor," Merlin said, getting right back up in Arthur's space. The prince grabbed Merlin's shoulders and forced him to stop.

"Merlin? What's wrong? You're acting strangely," Arthur said with a frown. Merlin avoided his gaze and shifted on his feet.

"I'm not—N-nothing's wrong," he mumbled. Arthur sighed and guided him to the bed and sat him down, then went about struggling out of his armor.

"Tell me, Merlin."

Merlin fidgeted and wrung his hands together, and sighed unhappily as Arthur looked at him.

"Please, let me just help you out of your armor," Merlin said, standing. Arthur glared at him, and he sat.

"Merlin, really! Tell me what's wrong, _now_!" Arthur demanded, stamping his foot down. Merlin winced and fidgeted, and then finally looked up at Arthur.

"I...I...I mean to say...th-the king..."

"What?! What did my father do to you?!" Arthur said. He had managed to get his armor off by now and stood in his undershirt and breeches.

Merlin blushed and looked away. "He... well..." he put his hands between his legs and shifted. Arthur's eyes got wide as he seemed to realize.

"Merlin, did he...hurt you?" the prince asked in a much softer voice, kneeling in front of Merlin.

"Oh no, quite the contrary..."

Arthur stood up and looked at Merlin,who didn't look back at him. "You and my father... And did you like it?!"

"Well, I mean, th-that is-"

"Merlin, how _could _you? He is my father, and you_ liked_ it!" Arthur started pacing and glaring at Merlin and mumbling to himself.

This was about what Merlin had expected, though, so he stood as well. "What about you?! You liked it too!"

Arthur stopped pacing and came up to Merlin with a finger pointed at his face. "That is something different! And I did not..." Arthur trailed off and started pacing again.

"Okay, so... what are we supposed to do?! Your father knows about us, Arthur! He said he wanted to know what you saw in me! He's going to have me hanged and then marry you off to some princess-"

"Stop! Don't say another word!" Arthur said, his face red with anger now. He gritted his teeth and looked at the door and suddenly strode over to it.

"Arthur, where are you going?!" Merlin asked, alarmed. He hoped he wasn't going where he thought he was...

"I am going to confront my father! Stay here!" the prince said, and left his room. Merlin hovered by the bed for a moment, heart racing, and then chased after Arthur.

"Sire! You won't accomplish anything if you see him now!" he called after the retreating figure of Arthur.

"Stop following me, Merlin!" came the reply, echoing around the silent halls. Merlin gave an exasperated sigh and ran faster. The king's bedchamber door was already open when he got there, and Merlin hesitated outside of it. He could hear Arthur and Uther arguing.

"-mine! He is mine! How could you go behind my back and-"

"Really, Arthur? He's a man. How could you possibly think-"

"Father! You don't understand! I—I-" Arthur's voice trailed off at the end, and Merlin couldn't hear what he said.

"Are you sure? You know that you have to marry a woman..."

"I am sure, father! I... I love him."

There was silence then, broken only by the crackling of the fire in Uther's room.

"And you would stand up to me to show that? You would risk your title as prince for him?"

Merlin's heart fluttered as there was another moment of silence, and then Arthur's voice, strong and sure.

"I would. And I am. I have never felt this way for another. He does not know it, I think."

"Arthur, think of what you're saying. He is a servant. He cannot bear you heirs. You will have to marry a woman of suitable pedigree."

There was a strange note to Uther's voice, like he was trying to get Arthur to understand something. Merlin thought he did, but no, that couldn't be! Would Uther really be trying to say _that?_

"Father, I do not want anyone else! I want him!"

Merlin heard a sigh from Uther. "Yes, I understand. But what you have to understand is that you will still have to marry a woman to bear heirs."

"What? You understand...?"

"Arthur, I see what is between you two. I want you to be happy, and he makes you happy. But you still need to have heirs, and for that you need to marry a woman. I will not stop you from whatever else you do."

"F-father! Are you...You really don't mind...? I was not expecting that...I don't know what to say..."

"You don't have to say anything."

Merlin distinctly thought he heard the sounds of kissing, and then an exclamation from Arthur.

"Father! _Really_!"

"What? It's the least you could do to repay me."

"Repay you...?"

"Joking, just joking. Now leave me so I can sleep."

"...Goodnight, father."

Merlin scrambled from the door just as Arthur came out of of, but instead of being mad he just smirked.

"I guess you were good enough that you saved yourself from the gallows," was all the prince said as he walked past Merlin. The servant frowned, but followed after him.

"So..."

"Not another word tonight. I'm tired from killing bandits."

"Can I sleep with you? Your bed is much more comfortable," Merlin said, and grinned when Arthur glared at him.

"No. Just because my father didn't have you killed doesn't mean you can move in," Arthur said as they paused outside of his door.

"Fine... But don't be surprised if I sneak into your bed some night," Merlin said with a smirk. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Then I will make sure to lock the door every night. Goodnight, Merlin," Arthur said. He glanced each way down the hall before yanking Merlin closer for a kiss. Merlin flailed against Arthur and barely had time to react before he was being shoved back.

"Goodnight, Merlin," Arthur said as he closed his door in Merlin's face. The servant blinked and stepped backwards, though he was soon grinning to himself as he made his way to Gaius'.

* * *

><p>AN – Nice Uther cause he's my favorite and he's dead. |:


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